


Running Late

by raptoriousVigilante



Series: what was once "Not Exactly Subtle" [8]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, First Meetings, M/M, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-02
Updated: 2018-02-02
Packaged: 2019-03-12 20:34:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,457
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13555080
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/raptoriousVigilante/pseuds/raptoriousVigilante
Summary: Daichi's morning is in shambles until he gets on the train.[repost from 2014]





	Running Late

**Author's Note:**

> prompt was "meeting on a train ride au"

Daichi was going to forever hold animosity against his alarm, though it was unwarranted considering it wasn't his phone's fault that the alarm didn't wake him up the first five times. Still, Daichi was cursing the alarms, " _why didn't they wake me up_ ", as he ran to the train station with his bag thumping uncomfortably against his hip. He had been pretty good about  _not_  being late to his morning class at university the entire semester so far (granted he was only on week 2), and he didn't want to start messing that up for the one class that actually cared about attendance. 

He's out of breath by the time he's on the train, having had to sprint up two flights of stairs and around corners, then two flights of stairs down only to run back up them and to the other side of the station to get onto the  _correct_  platform this time, then down those two flights of stairs and barreling into the train as the doors started to close. He feels a sense of victory when the doors do close behind him and the train starts moving, but it's short lived because once he leans against one of the poles he forgets about his bag until it swings with the train's movement and right into some poor person's head. Daichi grabs his bag frantically, and falls into the pole with his chest while he's trying desperately to apologize to the old man who was probably just enjoying sitting until some shitty university student attacked him with his unnecessarily heavy school bag.

"Oh my god, I am so,  _so_  sorry, sir, are you hurt?" he pleas, honestly trying not to break down from the mix of panic and embarrassment he's experienced in the past half hour since he woke up yelling at his alarm.

The man, whose surprisingly smooth hand is holding the spot on his head of healthy-looking silver where Daichi's bag slammed into him, looks up at Daichi and Daichi is pleasantly shocked to see that he is not, in fact, an old senior citizen. Instead, he's young, round, and has the most pleasant smile. He's scared for a moment that he just fell in love with a guy on the train he caused physical pain to.

Daichi's heart skips beats when the young man chuckles. "I'm fine, but thank you for asking," he says in a tone that sounds apologetic and it confuses the hell out of Daichi, "do you have your bag under control now?"

And now he's joking around. Daichi honestly cannot believe what's happening on this originally god awful day. He sputters for a moment before he can finally form words. "Uh--yeah, I do it's, uh, a little rowdy in the mornings, y'know?"  _Why did he say that oh god._

But this whispy-haired, good-natured,  _why is he gorgeous_  young man laughs, genuinely  _laughs_  at Daichi's stupid joke that he doesn't usually make the likes of, and bares a smile up at him. "I think I do know, actually," he says as he taps the spot on his head that is still apparently sore because he flinches when he does that. "Maybe I shouldn't be poking around there for a while, oops."

Daichi sighs in the breathless way he does when in awe of something fantastic and unreal, it almost sounds like relief but he's having trouble noticing that there are many other people outside of him and this guy chatting. He really wants to know his name, he really does, because then he can stop focusing on all the appealing features of him that easily range from his sweet (but apparently not a pushover) personality to the mole at the corner of his eye to identify him. He's not sure if that's really appropriate, though, and he just needs to find an excuse to ask. The man has a bag, too, so maybe he could ask if--

"Are you a student?"

Daichi falters, stares at this stranger, and finally realizes that this is his chance. "Yes! I'm actually on my way to class, I'm uh...a little late," he answers, also reminding himself that he should be wary of the time because of that "a little late" comment. He checks his phone while that charming chuckling dances through his ears again. 

"So am I. Well, I'm not late, but I'm not surprised that you are," the  _fellow student_  says and Daichi forgets why he got out his phone at all.

"What?" he blurts.

"I'm always on this train and I've never seen you before. I'm actually early today, though..."

Daichi can't help but snort a little. "And you got hit in the head with the bag of a guy who missed all his alarms and is late and unobservant, must be your lucky day," he says, sounding irritated but it's mostly directed at himself. He jumps a little at the realization that that must've sounded  _really rude_  and is yet against stumbling over his words. "I mean--I'm still really sorry about that, I didn't mean to imply it's your fault or anything, I just..." He drops his head in defeat. "Sorry."

He only hears a laugh that's as endearing as it is  _endeared_  and he's pretty sure he's blushing by now, which is embarrassing when he looks up at the nameless, beautiful stranger. Daichi almost can't handle the warm look he's getting. 

"Well, maybe we were meant to meet each other like this," said the nameless beautiful stranger who was also a fellow student who was also unreasonably attractive, "I mean, I would have preferred it without the hit to the head, but I guess I can't really be picky. Do you get off at the next stop, too?"

Daichi wants to cry from how perfect this moment is, but he won't because he's too busy practically gawking. "I...do, actually, yeah," he says slowly, realizing a very, very important factor in all those tropey romantic tv shows he pretends not to like, "do you...want to walk to class together?" God, he hasn't asked someone to walk somewhere with him since he was in high school and had a crush on the girl's volleyball team captain. 

His world lights up all around him when the young man stands up--Daichi is now aware that they're almost the same height--and has to stand close to him while he holds onto the railing. "I was going to ask you the same thing," he says, "and by the way, I'm Koushi Sugawara. All my friends shorten it to just Suga, though, so I don't mind if you do the same."

Suga's smile and eye contact send enough flutters through Daichi that he forgets he's late and should be in a hurry. He's staring, amazed, until he's startled by the train stopping and snaps out of it. As the doors are opening he blurts out, "Daichi Sawamura! You can call me Daichi, it's fine, I'd actually like that!"

Daichi watches Suga walk around him and out the door before he remembers that he needs to be  _walking with him_  and stumbles after him. His cool is lost completely to Suga--he has a  _name_ , bless this world--and he's not sure if he'll ever really regain it. Suga's waiting for him and shifting his bag around his shoulder.

"Alright, Daichi," Suga says and Daichi loves how his name sounds coming from him, "let's walk--oh." 

Daichi is alarmed when Suga suddenly stops talking and looks alarmed, himself. "What is it?" 

Suga has his lips tucked between his teeth for a moment. "You're late for your class, maybe you should just run ahead of me..." he says slowly, as if his voice is heavy with disappointment. Daichi isn't sure what he finds more endearing, Suga's mannerisms or that he's concerned about Daichi's unfortunate case of attendance. 

He swallows thickly, considers his professors rage and the lesson he'll miss and what the  _responsible_  choice is, but he shakes his head and he's definitely sure he's blushing. "I can miss one class," he says, but Suga doesn't look too convinced. "I mean...I don't even have your number," Daichi adds, a little less panicked and with more intentional flirting this time.

He's scared it's not going to work  _at all_ , but Suga suddenly blushes and smiles and shuffles around a little. "Ah, I guess you don't, do you..." he says with a purposeful smile and with just as much  _very intentional_  flirting as Daichi from just moments before. "Maybe I could give it to you over coffee? I  _am_  quite early to my class, after all."

Daichi grins and swears he's never going to get mad at his phone ever,  _ever_  again.


End file.
